Routine
by ButterPie
Summary: Zoro has a hard time napping.


Note: Old fic, set all the way back on their way to Dressrosa. I have a lot of catching up to do.

* * *

For the two years that he was away from his friends, Zoro found napping, unless thoroughly exhausted, practically impossible. He was glad for the rigorous and almost lethal training he had to endure, since they provided his body enough damage to send him to blissful unconsciousness. If he was not exhausted, it was practically a battle to nap in Kuraigana, much less sleep through the whole night like he did in the Sunny.

But, in finally reuniting with his nakama, he found himself going through naps during peaceful times again. It surprised him how easily he could just find a place near the amst, sit down, and pass out in a tranquil nap.

It felt good, he could finally relax. Of course, the second half of the grand line was anything but relaxing, and they have been in far more dangerous battles than they have been in before their training period, but he couldn't help but realize how nice it was to sit on that deck and just drown out the sounds of his crew and enter deep and comfortable slumber.

However, this day, he cannot find it in himself to fall asleep.

There was a niggling feeling that kept bothering him.

A feeling that something was definitely amiss.

He looked around the deck, from his current position on the grass by the mast. There was Nami, tending to her oranges like she alway did during this time of day. There was Brook playing his violin to an audience of Kinemon, Monosuke and Luffy. There was Usopp currently guarding Cesar while relaying a very expressive story to Chopper, currently wide eyed with awe. Sanji must be in the kitchen, he could smell the scent of fresh pastries, midday snack should be soon. He could hear Franky by the helm of the ship, evident by the loud whoops and exclamations of his catch phrase.

Zoro sighed, closing his eye again, willing himself to fall asleep.

'There's nothing wrong' he thought to himself 'Everything is fine, so time for my nap.'

But it still didn't come.

No amount of meditation could make it come.

He made a mental list of the training he was supposed to do today, and he had already done them all and some. He had already cleaned his swords, oiled their scabbards and shined them to perfection. His shower wasn't due for another day. There was no clear and present danger, and even with extending the radius of his haki, he could not feel any form of threat, evena a rogue sea monster. Besides, Sanji and Luffy can also feel oncoming threats, Nami and Usopp have their eyes on the skies for any sudden weather changes, and Franky would definitely know if something was wrong with the Sunny.

No one seems to be in distress or alarmed.

So why couldn't he fall asleep?

Then, suddenly, realization hit him. Like a sea train. And his eye shot open as he stood a bit too fast, and Nami, by her oranges, noticed.

"Everything alright Zoro?" She asked the swordsman as he passed by. However, he just ignored her and walked away with purpose. Luffy, who had planned on pestering Sanji for food, also noticed and bounded off to where Nami stood.

"Oi, Nami, Zoro!" He called out, but the swordsman just ignored him too.

The rubber boy looked at the orange haired girl "What's up with him?"

She shrugged "I'm not sure, maybe he just wants to nap inside?"

Luffy looked at the door his first mate had gone in, muttering "But he always sleeps outside around this time." However, he shrugged it off and went in the kitchen shouting for food.

Nami, who had heard her captain, agreed, wondering what was bothering their usually calm first mate.

* * *

Zoro marched to the aquarium room, which would have taken him less time than it did if the damn Sunny's layout didn't change every single day and he had taken a detour through the bath house. He reached the right door, or so he hoped from the past two he tried, threw it wide open with a bang, and finally, thank Oda, finally found what he was looking for.

"You!" He shouted, pointing straight at Robin, who at that moment was poring over books with their ally Law.

The dark haired two looked up at Zoro, both expressions of an unreadable facade, although both of them were quite surprised at the sudden and loud intrusion.

"You!" Zoro repeated, making a jabbing motion with his pointing finger.

Law, thinking that this might be one of the things the strawhat crew just does, beyond what he could understand from their short alliance period, thought Zoro was addressing him, "What is it, swordsman-ya?"

But Zoro, eye pointed as straight as his finger, ignored him, "What are you doing here?" he asked Robin.

Robin, unlike Law, knew this was something out of the ordinary even for their group. For one, Zoro never really addressed her like this. "I was looking through the books with Law-san" she answered plainly gesturing to the open and spread out tomes around them.

Zoro narrowed his eye, finally stepping inside the room. He marched straight to Robin, almost mechanically, and without another word, grabbed Robin, and hosted her over his shoulder. Before she could protest, or maim him for the sudden handling, he looked at Law. "You" he said, once again with the jabbing finger "Take the books the follow me."

Law looked at the archeologist, long limbs dangling from the shoulder of the swordsman, just as confused as he was, but who also seemed resigned at her current predicament. So with a nonchalant shrug, grabbed as much books as he could and followed the swordsman.

* * *

The noise from the deck died down as Zoro emerged from the door, carrying Robin like a sack of potatoes. Would have gotten out there earlier, but Zoro had managed to lead them through Franky's workshop. If Robin or Law had just known where he intended to go, they would have been able to direct him.

Nami, who didn't quite know what to say, held back Sanji, who was currently shouting at Zoro to stop manhandling the archeologist. Although Nami was worried about Robin, especially with the way Zoro was handling her, but she was admittedly more curious about why all this happening. Plus, Robin didn't seem to fully mind what has happening, she didn't seem distressed and Zoro was still standing and not clutching his crotch in pain. They were followed by Law, an almost funny sort of parade of the three arguably most serious passengers on their ship.

No one was quite sure of what to make of the sight, Usopp clearly distressed that they have been taken over by imposters and Chopper believing the lies. Franky was bewildered, still slightly wary of Robin's own brand of punishment, while Brook couldn't even crack a panty or a skull joke. Luffy, however, was blissfully unaware of the tension and has started pestering Law, who pointedly ignored him for his own curiosity.

Zoro, who didn't even notice the sudden silence, looked around the deck and found the chair Robin would often occup. With one hand still firmly holding Robin over his shoulder, he grabbed the chair and plopped it near the mast, where it usually is, and unceremoniously dropped the woman on it.

"Now, stay there." He commanded gruffly, before sitting down on the grass just a few feet from where she sat, arms crossed over his chest, swords cradled by him, and in a second, he was snoring loudly, a snot bubble already blowing through his nose.

"Well that's interesting" Nami said, while an unconscious Sanji laid by her feet, a frantic chopper trying to revive him.

Law, who also thought this whole ordeal was quite interesting, had a smirk on his lips as he sat by Robin, the stack of books set between them. "I guess we can continue our reading here, Nico-ya." And he passed her a heavy book.

Usopp slithered by Nami, giving the three deadly pirates by the mast a wide berth, still unsure of what actually transpired. "Nami" He whispered, slightly scared of his own voice "What just happened?"

With a devious smile, and her hands on her waist, Nami looked at Usopp "Just something very interesting. You up for an experiment?"

The sniper, who had regretted his decision to reach out to the navigator and had started to inch away once her aura of mischievousness peaked, was stopped by the captain who had looped his arms around him, and had also somehow managed to snag their doctor who was protesting that Sanji was still unconscious.

"Yup!" Luffy agreed, with that wide Luffy smile of his, and Usopp could only faint in agony.


End file.
